ATP Finals | Nadal has to beat Tsitispas to go to the semifinals

Historically, things were never easy for Rafa Nadal at the ATP Finals. The tournament brings together eight best in the world every year, at seasonal heights in which the players arrive with the right gasoline and the body punished. This is not the case in 2020, due to the reduction in the calendar caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And even so the Balearic is playing the pass this Thursday (21:00, #Vamos) to heads or tails against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The winner will continue in the tournament and the loser will go home to rest. As simple as that.

Both face the appointment with a victory and a defeat. Before (15:00, Movistar Deportes), Dominic Thiem will rally with Rublev with nothing at stake, since the Austrian is classified as first of the group and the Russian, eliminated. Nadal can achieve two milestones if he defeats Tsitsipas: making a sixth time in the Masters Cup crossovers and reaching his 20th victory in the event. Its objective in mind is none other than finally lift the only great trophy that is missing from their showcases, with permission from the lower-class 1,000 Masters in Miami, Shanghai and Paris. The one from Manacor is optimistic because it looks good: “I think my tennis level has been very high, so I believe in my chances of making a very good result,” he said after falling to Thiem in a great game decided by small details and in two tiebreakers.

Against Tsitsipas, Nadal is favored by the antecedents. Dominate the head-to-head 5-1, with a single loss on clay at the 2019 Madrid Open and three of his hard court wins. The last, without going any further in the group stage in London last year. A good precedent. “It will be another tough opponent. But I hope to be ready. Competing like this I am sure that I can have my opportunities in the tournament,” Rafa reiterated. The 22-year-old Greek greatly respects the world's number two: “It will require a lot of physical effort, and I'm going to have to go through a lot of pain and suffering, so it's going to be a difficult match. I am going to try to play aggressively, against Nadal you can't go on the defensive, “warns Stefanos.

Different workouts

Yesterday, the Mallorcan trained for an hour on track 1 of the O2 Arena with his technicians, Carlos Moyá and Francis Roig, and the physio, Rafa Maymó. It was a gentle recovery session in which Moyá made him a rally partner. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas prepared with a left-handed sparring to rehearse the remains and the return of the blows against an opponent who uses the same hand as the Spanish, a common practice among his adversaries. Nadal reached the semifinals twice after starting 1-1 (2006 and 2007) and failed twice (2011 and 2019).